04-03-2025
The ripple effect: how positive childhood experiences deliver long-term benefits
On any day of the week at Cottage by the Sea (CBTS) in Queenscliff, Victoria, groups of children can be found exploring the foreshore with glee. Some might be putting on wetsuits and testing the waves for the first time, while others might be getting a fishing lesson or heading out on a boat to spot dolphins.
It's a scene that looks much like any other school excursion or family beach holiday. But for these children and young people – many of whom have experienced trauma or are from families that need support – the opportunity to spend time in a welcoming environment, where providing 'fun, inspiration and opportunity' is the top priority, can be more than just a good experience: it can be transformative.
That's not just hyperbole. After more than 130 years, CBTS knows thousands of children's lives have been changed as a result of their stay in Queenscliff.
Cottage by the Sea. Photo supplied.
Adam Wake, the Cottage's CEO, says staff know the impact they make every day. 'We see it; we hear it,' Wake says. Yet explaining that impact to others used to be a challenge. 'We couldn't describe it. We needed an external research body to be able to put that together for us.'
In 2020 CBTS signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding with Deakin University to do just that. The partnership has already resulted in two significant research projects, published in 2023 and 2024.
The first was a study on the short-term impacts of the Cottage's Take a Break program. The second looked into the long-term impact of CBTS programs, and resulted in the report, From Ripples to Waves.
Led by Prof Louise Paatsch, the deputy director of Deakin University's Strategic Research Centre in Education, Research for Educational Impact, researchers on the From Ripples to Waves project spoke to a wide range of people, including recent and older alumni, their parents and teachers, a former CBTS board member, and a director of a charitable foundation, to gather data. Some interviewees were in their 80s and 90s, and still vividly remembered their experiences at the cottage in the 1930s and 40s.
Prof Louise Paatsch
The report identified four key ways in which the program provides positive experiences for participants: by fostering fun and enjoyment, building relationships, providing a safe haven and creating happy memories. In many interviews, participants mentioned how small gifts given to them during their stay at the Cottage – such as handmade toys made by volunteers or articles of clothing – had become treasured mementos 'reinforcing their sense of being welcomed, of belonging, and of the support they felt during their time in the program and beyond'.
Many participants said the experience changed the trajectory of their lives. One alumnus, who attended in the 1960s, said:
'Having clean clothes and having a bath every day and having three meals a day. That was all new to me … it made me want that for my life more so than ever before … it made me strive even more to get away from the environment that I was living in and make my own environment, and I firmly believe that Cottage did that.'
Teachers and parents were also key voices in the research project, as witnesses to the effect the Cottage had on children and young people. Paatsch says: 'What many teachers noted was they observed [things] about the children they hadn't seen inside the classroom [before]. The parents we interviewed said that it had set them up for life.'
Morgan Mitchell. Image supplied.
Olympic athlete Morgan Mitchell was a CBTS kid, and her experience echoes many of the comments included in the Deakin report. 'Back in the day, I just thought it was a school holiday program,' she says. 'We were just with a bunch of kids hanging out and having fun.'
Morgan Mitchell
Now expecting twins, with plans to compete in the 2028 Olympics, 30-year-old Mitchell can see the long-term impact of her stay at CBTS. 'If I hadn't gone with my sisters to the Cottage, I think I'd be at a very different point in my life right now.'
Many alumni, their teachers and families shared similar stories. Wake was surprised by the depth of the responses. 'You never really know what difference you make in a child's life,' he says.
Deakin's research has provided the evidence that will help CBTS grow, potentially offering programs to a younger cohort, and more children overall, as the need for its services increases. Insights from the project will also be fed back to students at Deakin.
Adam Wake
Paatsch believes many up-and-coming researchers can learn from the project, by 'understanding how to build trust in a partnership, to collaborate, and to build that really strong, safe partnership'.
Deakin and CBTS have more joint-research projects planned, including a project to better understand the Cottage's supporters and their views on its medium- to long-term impact. Deakin will ask participants about the aspects of the programs they feel had the greatest ongoing impact, the nature of that impact, and how programs could be improved to increase its impact.
Throughout its history, CBTS has benefited from the hard work and commitment of many supporters, including volunteers, donors, patrons and ambassadors. As well as their important insights into the program, Wake is keen to understand what motivates them to get involved.
'Why do our volunteers come on a weekly basis?' Wake says. 'Why do they make sure the grass is cut? Why do they make sure the scones are made? That's the donor voice I would really like to understand more of.'
Cottage by the Sea. Photo supplied.
Mitchell might be a good person to ask about motivation. Having experienced a difficult childhood, she knows first-hand the difference CBTS can make and is keen to ensure others have the same life-affirming opportunities she did. Once her sporting commitments are completed, she plans to become a more regular supporter and give other children the opportunities she was offered.
'I've always believed that every kid deserves a chance, and every kid deserves a level playing field, no matter their upbringing,' she says. 'They're just so precious.'
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